What Happened To Us? is a textual pun –- “us” referring both to ourselves and to the United States of America. It is also of a title of a large scale drawing installation by Romanian artist, Dan Perjovski, who exhibited at MOMA in New York earlier this year.

The artist was commissioned by the gallery to draw directly onto the walls of the Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium. The drawings took two weeks to complete, during which time the gallery was open to the public to allow them to bear witness to the creative process. Perjovski’s work is inspired by political issues, both local and global, like the conflict in the Middle East or the extension of the European Union. Through witty text and incisive political images, Perjovski makes his unique voice heard and seen.

Perjovski’s relationship with the media has come full circle. He draws inspiration from the newspapers and tabloid headlines. And since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, Perjovski’s observations have been featured in many political and literary journals, including Contrapunct and 22. Perjovski worked as an illustrator and former art director of the latter, which took its name from the date on which Romanian dictator Nichlae Ceausescu was ousted from power — December 22, 1989. It’s the brainchild of a group called Social Dialogue which is comprised of a group of “writers, artists and who endorse freedom of expression and human rights”.

Perjovski’s talent seems to be the ability to transform simple drawings into thought-provoking political commentary.